Environmental Commitment

Environmental Commitment

The Summerfield community wishes to enter into a true relationship with the land it has purchased. We feel that this land is a living part of the whole earth, which should not be bought or sold as a commodity. Rather, we wish to free it from this bondage and place it under our careful stewardship, entering into a loving relationship with its needs and potentials. We will endeavor to discover, practice and teach the principles of genuine stewardship of the earth by cultivating our connection with the Spirit and grounding it in this soil, thereby nurturing our school and farm in order to bring about the greatest living potential of the land and all those who set foot, hoof, root or otherwise on it.

Following is our current Environmental Land Policy, adopted by the Board of Directors in 2011:

Summerfield Waldorf School and Farm is committed to responsible stewardship of our environment. We appreciate and respect the interdependence of complex human and ecological systems and are committed to maintaining and improving their health, wholeness, balance and diversity while advancing sustainability on the Summerfield campus in several areas of operation: resource use and recycling, energy consumption and generation, land use, farming and landscape, education and student involvement, built environment, transportation, water, and food. In the course of our activities, we shall; Reduce our use of natural resources; Support the sustainable production of the resources we must use by purchasing renewable, reusable, recyclable, and recycled materials; Seek locally sourced materials and goods; Minimize our use of toxic substances, seek safe alternatives, and ensure that unavoidable use is in full compliance with environmental regulations; Reduce the waste we generate and promote strategies to reuse and recycled those wastes that cannot be avoided; Maintain the biodynamic practices of our farm; Protect, maintain, restore and experience the natural wildlife areas of our school; Protect the neighboring Laguna de Santa Rosa: an internationally recognized Ramsar Convention wetland; Reduce greenhouse gas emissions; Reduce the impacts of transportation to and from school by promoting activities like carpooling and bicycling. Integrate knowledge of and stewardship of our environment into the curriculum at SWSF. Summerfield Waldorf School and Farm is committed to sharing information about sustainability practices, especially those that are replicable, within our school and with other school communities; and when appropriate, to share with local, region, national and global organizations in order to foster widespread environmental stewardship and sustainability. We are committed to learning the best practices from other schools and organizations as we work to continually improve our own sustainability efforts.

The finalized Land Trust Agreement, called the Deed of Conservation Easement, preserves farmland and wildlife areas in perpetuity upon the school property.